RSS feed generator

• US 8,606,845 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2005
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dickinson, Richard L., Miller, Michaeljon
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashok
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECHTEL, KEVIN M
• Application Number:
  US11/323,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20070156809A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,902 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-208, 709217-219, 707705-713, 707758-759
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

A really simple syndication (RSS) feed generator provides a user access to a set of data in the form of an RSS feed containing an object. The RSS feed generator allows the user to generate a feed definition using any of a user interface, a web based application programming interface, and an HTTP request. The RSS feed generator uses the feed definition provided by the user to generate the RSS feed and exposes the RSS feed in the form of RSS XML data. The RSS feed generator allows a business system to dynamically update the set of data contained in the RSS feed in a manner that allows a user to perform a plurality of functions on the RSS feed.

Claims

1. A method of providing a set of data from a database in the form of a really simple syndication (RSS) feed containing an object, the method comprising:

dynamically updating the set of data;

dynamically receiving from a client, via an application programming interface, a definition of a query requesting an object, the object having;

a defined scope, wherein the defined scope comprises;

at least one of a number of data fields included in the object from the set of data, an identification of the data source providing a data field, or the name of a data field, and

defined attributes, wherein the defined attributes comprise at least one of information identifying which fields are sortable, or an update time for the field values;

converting the definition of the query to an RSS feed definition;

querying the database using the RSS feed definition;

converting results from the query to an RSS feed including the requested object;

publishing the RSS feed to the client;

providing a user interface enabling a user to further define the scope and attributes related to the requested object provided by the RSS feed for creating a customized version of the RSS feed;

receiving a request from a first user via the user interface for the customized version of the RSS feed, the request including a first further defined scope and attributes related to the object provided by the RSS feed;

generating a first customized feed definition using the first further defined scope and the attributes of the object;

applying the first customized feed definition to the RSS feed to create a first customized RSS feed;

providing the first user access to the first customized RSS feed;

performing one or more functions on the first customized RSS feed to modify data included in the first customized RSS feed and making the modified data available to other users;

receiving a second request from a second user for another customized version of the RSS feed, the second request including a second further defined scope and other attributes related to the object provided by the RSS feed;

generating a second customized feed definition using the second further defined scope and the attributes of the object;

applying the second customized feed definition to the RSS feed to create a second customized RSS feed;

providing the second user an access to the second customized RSS feed; and

performing one or more functions on the second customized RSS feed to modify data included in the second customized RSS feed and making the modified data available to other users.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the request including attributes related to the object comprises receiving an attribute of an update time field for specifying the last time the object was received.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the feed definition further comprises generating the feed definition using a web based application programming interface (API).

4. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the first customized feed definition to the RSS feed to create the first customized RSS feed further comprises restricting data from the RSS feed to be available to the user only when the user has a relevant security permission to access the RSS feed data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the user an access to the RSS feed further comprising applying a security check at a user level.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the user an access to the RSS feed further comprising applying a security check at a class level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the user an access to the RSS feed further comprising applying a security check at an item level.

8. An RSS feed generator system for providing a set of data from a database to a user in the form of a really simple syndication (RSS) feed containing an object, the system comprising:

a business system dynamically updating the set of data;

a central processing unit (CPU) of a computer with a feed definition module executed on the CPU, causing the CPU to;

receive a request from a client to generate an RSS feed containing an object based on the set of data from the database, the request in the form of an HTTP document specifying an object definition comprising a scope and attributes of the object;

define a scope of the object including;

at least one of a number of data fields from the set of data from the database, an identification of a data source providing a data field, or the name of a data field according to the object definition in the HTTP document;

define attributes of the object including at least one of;

information identifying which fields are to be sortable, or an update time for the field values, according to the object definition in the HTTP document;

generate an RSS feed definition using the scope and the attributes of the object;

query the database using the RSS feed definition;

convert a result from the query to an RSS feed including the object;

publishing the RSS feed to the client;

receive, from a plurality of user interface modules executed on a plurality of client processors, feed requests further defining scope and attribute characteristics related to the object provided by the RSS feed for a customized version of the RSS feed, and

generate a corresponding customized RSS feed definition using individual further defined scope and attribute characteristics of the object included in each feed request and convert each of the customized RSS feed definitions to individual RSS feeds; and

a feed publisher module executed on the CPU providing the each of the plurality of users an access to the individual RSS feed of the corresponding customized feed definition.

9. The RSS feed generator system of claim 8, wherein the feed definition module further generates the feed definition using a web based application programming interface (API).

10. The RSS feed generator of claim 8, wherein the feed publisher module (1) converts the RSS feed definition in the form of RSS XML data;

and (2) embeds an XSL style sheet processing instruction (Pl) into the RSS XML data.

11. The RSS feed generator of claim 8, further comprising a security module restricting data from the RSS feed to only users having permission to access the RSS feed data.